4.1% Rail Fare Increase - January 2014

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

And the reason they do this is purely because the rail companies decided to ban bikes a few years back.

Not because nearly 30,000 bikes might have clogged up the trains a little? It's probably more to stop the hangers on who join the race without contributing in any way.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Don't forget the weather.

Too hot? Close down services.
Raining? Close down services.
Cold? Close down services.
Snow? Close down services.
Average weather? Too busy 'preparing' for extreme conditions, short of staff, close down services.

Oh yeah. I completely forgot this. Durrrrr.

And also, I totally kid you not, I bought a bottle of water on the train a while back and asked for an extra plastic beaker to share with Frau Tubthumper...and was told it was only one cup per drink. I challenged this (politely) and the girl who served me apologetically explained that they are told they now have a limited supply of sundries like milk, sugar and cups and are instructed to ration them and they only have a certain amount to match the items on the trolley. The girl ended up sitting with me and Frau Tubthumper and telling us all the penny pinching stuff the catering company engage in, how ridiculous she feels explaining the limits to people and how really difficult and unpleasant it makes her job. I ask you, one cup per bottle of water. Is this what it has come to?

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

See how much the 4.1% is spent on improvements and how much goes into shareholders dividends ? It will continue until the railways are returned to not for profit, state run ownership like the East Coast railway

The Tories want to re-privatise East Coast Rail because it is well run and makes a profit which should be benefiting shareholders instead of the money going into state coffers.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Not because nearly 30,000 bikes might have clogged up the trains a little? It's probably more to stop the hangers on who join the race without contributing in any way.

They somehow managed it for a decade or so. Anyway, it's about rising to the challenge and not taking the same attitude as you appear to have. I might take your view if it was not against a back drop of constant throwing in of towels from other challenges.

 

[Hillian1]

Oh yeah. I completely forgot this. Durrrrr.

And also, I totally kid you not, I bought a bottle of water on the train a while back and asked for an extra plastic beaker to share with Frau Tubthumper...and was told it was only one cup per drink. I challenged this (politely) and the girl who served me apologetically explained that they are told they now have a limited supply of sundries like milk, sugar and cups and are instructed to ration them and they only have a certain amount to match the items on the trolley. The girl ended up sitting with me and Frau Tubthumper and telling us all the penny pinching stuff the catering company engage in, how ridiculous she feels explaining the limits to people and how really difficult and unpleasant it makes her job. I ask you, one cup per bottle of water. Is this what it has come to?

Slightly on a tangent, but I had exactly the same conversation with a member of the Amex catering staff regarding an extra plastic beaker, I had asked for two halves of lager and told they didn't sell halves, which they had done earlier, so I asked for a pint and one of the smaller beakers and was refused.

 

[Ernest]

Oh yeah. I completely forgot this. Durrrrr.

And also, I totally kid you not, I bought a bottle of water on the train a while back and asked for an extra plastic beaker to share with Frau Tubthumper...and was told it was only one cup per drink. I challenged this (politely) and the girl who served me apologetically explained that they are told they now have a limited supply of sundries like milk, sugar and cups and are instructed to ration them and they only have a certain amount to match the items on the trolley. The girl ended up sitting with me and Frau Tubthumper and telling us all the penny pinching stuff the catering company engage in, how ridiculous she feels explaining the limits to people and how really difficult and unpleasant it makes her job. I ask you, one cup per bottle of water. Is this what it has come to?

Couldn't one of you have drunk out of the bottle and one out of the cup ?

 

[Beach Hut]

The Tories want to re-privatise East Coast Rail because it is well run and makes a profit which should be benefiting shareholders instead of the money going into state coffers.

What profit is this bearing in mind the last two owners handed the franchise back after failing so badly.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

What profit is this bearing in mind the last two owners handed the franchise back after failing so badly.

“It has an impressive performance record, it has a loyal customer following and it is making big payments back to the government from its profits - to keep fares down for the travelling public - without needing to pay dividends to private shareholders. In the last four years, East Coast has established itself as one of the best train operating companies in the country, both operationally and commercially." - Lord Adonis , 20th June 2013.

and


"Analysis published today by Action for Rail shows that since returning to state control in 2009, the East Coast Main Line has returned £602 million to the Treasury - over £220 million more than the Virgin-operated West Coast line. Over the same period Virgin, which has expressed an interest in taking over the East Coast Mainline route, paid shareholders nearly £200 million in dividends. By contrast, all of the profits East Coast Main Line has made since being re-nationalised have been invested back into improving the service and by 2014 is expected to be generating over £800 million for the Treasury."

TUC Action For Rail campaign , 2nd August 2013.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

They somehow managed it for a decade or so. Anyway, it's about rising to the challenge and not taking the same attitude as you appear to have. I might take your view if it was not against a back drop of constant throwing in of towels from other challenges.

Come on then HT how would you do it? Rise to the challenge.

Perhaps they should go back to the old days and charge a fare for the bike as well as the person. But I'm sure you will have a better idea as to how to get them all on without resulting in absolute carnage (which presumably you would complain about)

 

[Beach Hut]

“It has an impressive performance record, it has a loyal customer following and it is making big payments back to the government from its profits - to keep fares down for the travelling public - without needing to pay dividends to private shareholders. In the last four years, East Coast has established itself as one of the best train operating companies in the country, both operationally and commercially." - Lord Adonis , 20th June 2013.

and


"Analysis published today by Action for Rail shows that since returning to state control in 2009, the East Coast Main Line has returned £602 million to the Treasury - over £220 million more than the Virgin-operated West Coast line. Over the same period Virgin, which has expressed an interest in taking over the East Coast Mainline route, paid shareholders nearly £200 million in dividends. By contrast, all of the profits East Coast Main Line has made since being re-nationalised have been invested back into improving the service and by 2014 is expected to be generating over £800 million for the Treasury."

TUC Action For Rail campaign , 2nd August 2013.

I would suggest those figures are very mis-leading personally as both Sea Containers and National Express failed albeit both had major accidents on their watch.

 

[PC-Gull]

Commuting from Brighton to London with travelcard was not sustainable financially, nor physically considering the length of my days. I am more than happy I have found a new job a lot closer to home. Taken the train right out of my journey and I will be freeing up at least 4-5 hours every day. It is such a crock that the price of fares keeps going up, when the quality of service seems to be going the other way. Cancelling train services because of the threat of snow is beyond taking the piss.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Come on then HT how would you do it? Rise to the challenge.

Perhaps they should go back to the old days and charge a fare for the bike as well as the person. But I'm sure you will have a better idea as to how to get them all on without resulting in absolute carnage (which presumably you would complain about)

Firstly I would not have let it get to this state. As already pointed out up until 7 years ago they used to ferry, and I quote, "thousands" of cyclists back to the capital; I'd do it exactly the same as then.

And, I have this solution for concerts at Falmer. It might sound crazy, but I'd keep the station open and run it EXACTLY the same as they do for the football.

I've also just invented this circular wheel shaped thing. Any ideas what I can do with it as this conundrum has actually stumped me.

Besides it's not my job to provide answers to the rail industry.

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

I would suggest those figures are very mis-leading personally as both Sea Containers and National Express failed albeit both had major accidents on their watch.

Why? Last year's annual company report from CH records that £188.6M was paid to the Govt in 2012 and £176.3M the previous year.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Come on then HT how would you do it? Rise to the challenge.

Perhaps they should go back to the old days and charge a fare for the bike as well as the person. But I'm sure you will have a better idea as to how to get them all on without resulting in absolute carnage (which presumably you would complain about)

You MUST work for the railways surely?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Couldn't one of you have drunk out of the bottle and one out of the cup ?

Good point, but the wife didnt fancy drinking out of the bottle.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Slightly on a tangent, but I had exactly the same conversation with a member of the Amex catering staff regarding an extra plastic beaker, I had asked for two halves of lager and told they didn't sell halves, which they had done earlier, so I asked for a pint and one of the smaller beakers and was refused.

Genius.

 

[Ernest]

Firstly I would not have let it get to this state. As already pointed out up until 7 years ago they used to ferry, and I quote, "thousands" of cyclists back to the capital; I'd do it exactly the same as then.

And, I have this solution for concerts at Falmer. It might sound crazy, but I'd keep the station open and run it EXACTLY the same as they do for the football.

I've also just invented this circular wheel shaped thing. Any ideas what I can do with it as this conundrum has actually stumped me.

Besides it's not my job to provide answers to the rail industry.

They haven't carried any bikes back to London for over 10 years well before Southern came into existence. The main problem is that the 377 stock which runs to and from London is totally unsuitable to carry bikes unlike the days of the slam door stock when they loaded 12 coaches of punters and bikes quite happily by flipping the seats over in the rear 6 coaches and piling the bikes up in there. It was an incredibly good earner for the railways and they made a fortune that day in ticket sales but there is no way that the present stock can be used and there is nothing floating about elsewhere which falls back to the DofT and the way they commission stock and insist what is used where.

As for Falmer and pop concerts they should run a proper service but again it boils down to outside influences insisting on a high level of policing and stewarding and as that costs nobody wants to pay.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Taking the piss big time, the government that is. They want passengers to fund 75% of the railway in the UK, at the moment it is 32% so they will keep rising fares until they only have to pay 25%.

Nationalisation wont help much either, as we will just end up in the exact same scenario with the government wanting the passengers to pay for absolutely everything, not to mention - trains have actually got better under privatisation as hard to imagine as that is. May as well throw it out there that Southern is in the process of getting hundreds of extra train carriages as well and another order has just been placed, so at least the money is going somewhere.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Why? Last year's annual company report from CH records that £188.6M was paid to the Govt in 2012 and £176.3M the previous year.

Which suggests the previous franchisees couldn't make a go of it after paying out for the franchise rights , satisfying the shareholders with dividend payments , investing in the business and paying out big bonuses to those at the top all at the same time

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

They haven't carried any bikes back to London for over 10 years well before Southern came into existence. The main problem is that the 377 stock which runs to and from London is totally unsuitable to carry bikes unlike the days of the slam door stock when they loaded 12 coaches of punters and bikes quite happily by flipping the seats over in the rear 6 coaches and piling the bikes up in there. It was an incredibly good earner for the railways and they made a fortune that day in ticket sales but there is no way that the present stock can be used and there is nothing floating about elsewhere which falls back to the DofT and the way they commission stock and insist what is used where.

As for Falmer and pop concerts they should run a proper service but again it boils down to outside influences insisting on a high level of policing and stewarding and as that costs nobody wants to pay.

I appreciate and understand this but it just seems such a major step backwards that we now buy and run such inflexible rolling stock. To not be able to do something which we could easily do 10 years ago is not progress in my mind.